Samsung's Internet@TV tellies to offer BBC iPlayer

Samsung has announced a major update to its Internet@TV platform that will see owners of such a TV able to store around 70 to 100 applications on the new platform including the likes of the BBC's iPlayer service, LOVFiLM movie streaming and Muzu.TV for music-themed videos.

Samsung's Internet@TV solution will be available on select TVs as well as all Blu-ray players and Blu-ray Home Cinema Systems in 2010. Offering video, music, social networking, news and games, it's the iPlayer integration that's making the headlines as it will be the first time a TV or Blu-ray player (if you don't count the PS3) offers the video on demand service built-in.

Erik Huggers, the BBC's director for future media and technology chimes in with: "BBC iPlayer has enjoyed huge success since launch two years ago, and the next challenge for us is taking the service mobile and into the living room. People are getting more familiar with on-demand TV services, and with more internet-connected TVs coming into the market this year, we've built a version of BBC iPlayer that can be easily adapted to work on internet-connected TVs. Innovation partnerships such as this with Samsung, help us in our goal of making our catch-up services available to as wide a range of licence fee payers as possible".

In the UK the Samsung C9000, C8000, C7000, C6500 from the LED range will support the services, as will the C750 and C650 LCD TVs. Samsung's plasma models are not forgotten with inclusion for the C7000 and C6500 while as far as Blu-ray players go, you're looking at Internet@TV support on the BD-C7500, BD-C6900, BD-C6500 and BD-C5500 models.